Livingston Gets Cash, No Rush

Clipper rookie Shaun Livingston, who turns 19 on Saturday, will have plenty of reason to celebrate.

The first true point guard to jump directly from high school to the NBA, Livingston signed a three-year, $8.1-million contract Thursday. Picked fourth in the June draft, he was slotted into a deal that will pay him about $2.5 million this season, about $2.7 million next season and about $2.9 million in 2006-07.

What’s more, the Clippers aren’t looking for immediate results.

“I just want him to develop in due course,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “He’s a good kid. I think he plays hard. I think he’s very smart. I think he’s mature for his age. But I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on him to have to perform [within] any kind of time frame at all....

“It could take two years, as far as we’re concerned, but we hope it’s sooner. We hope it’s one year. We hope it’s less than one year. We don’t know. It’s just a matter of, keep pushing him to work hard and learn.”

The signing of the 6-foot-7 Livingston all but sets the Clipper roster more than three weeks before the start of training camp.

Livingston and second-round pick Lionel Chalmers are among seven newcomers, among them veteran guard Kerry Kittles, who will join holdovers Marko Jaric, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, Chris Kaman, Chris Wilcox and Bobby Simmons starting Oct. 5 at Santa Barbara.

Jaric, the 25-year-old incumbent, is expected to open the season as the Clippers’ starting point guard. But Livingston, who has drawn comparisons to a young Magic Johnson, will be given a chance to show what he can do.

“I will use him as much as possible,” Dunleavy said. “I believe in him. It just depends on how much he can grasp and how quickly he can grasp it.”

Said Livingston, “For any teenager, it’s going to be hard ... but I’m looking to make a smooth transition, the sooner the better. I have high expectations.”

Originally committed to Duke, Livingston changed his mind and made himself available for the NBA draft not long after leading Peoria Central High in Illinois to its second consecutive state championship.

Shortly after the draft, he had a wart removed from the bottom of his right foot, a procedure that sidelined him through much of July. He spent last month working out in Chicago, then Wednesday moved into his new home in Playa del Rey.

Last week, he signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Reebok.

“I’m still going to be on a budget,” he said, when asked about his windfall, “but it’s a different budget than what I was used to.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

High Picks

Shaun Livingston is the third high school player the Clippers have drafted:

*--* PLAYER P PICK (YR) HIGH SCHOOL STATUS SHAUN LIVINGSTON G Fourth (2004) Peoria Central Signed three-year deal TYSON CHANDLER F Second (2001) Dominguez Traded to Chicago on draft day DARIUS MILES F Third (2000) East St. Louis Traded to Cleveland in 2002

*--*